There exists various occasions when there is a need to alert and/or notify individuals. In some situations it is also preferred to be able to notify only individuals being present in a specified geographical area. The alert can be a warning for a bush fire, traffic guidance, advertisement etc. but can also be useful for geo-fencing and territorial monitoring.
Mobile communication systems and the mobile terminals is one example of a system that can be used for such notifications.
In the Global Systems for Mobile communication (GSM) standard, there is a service defined called Short Message Service (SMS) Cell Broadcast, which provides an information supplier with the possibility of broadcasting a message to the GSM users within a certain geographical region, see GSM Technical Specification (TS) 03.02. The geographical region in which a SMS Cell Broadcast message is broadcast is defined on a per message basis and can include one or more cells, or even an entire Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN). An SMS Cell Broadcast message is broadcast cyclically by the Base Transceiver Stations (BTSs) in the defined geographical region at a frequency and duration specified by the information supplier.
Cell broadcast can be used to inform all subscribers connected to a cell of a specific mobile operator via Short Message Service SMS about something important in the particular location.
A drawbacks with the cell broadcast solution is that accuracy is limited to cell accuracy. Further, the same information is broadcasted to all subscribers. It is also a drawback that a mobile network does not know who are in the particular location, for example temporary out of coverage, so it is not possible to follow up if the subscriber got the notification. Cell broadcast also has several limitations in terms of functionality.
The applicants patent application WO 98/08350 describes a method and system for selectively broadcasting a message to mobile stations traveling within a particular geographic area within a serving mobile switching center (MSC) coverage area. The message is transmitted using for example short message service (SMS) messages to each of the mobile stations determined to be located within the specified geographic area. The determination of to which mobile stations to send the message is done by querying a visiting location register (VLR).
A drawback with WO 98/08350 is that the accuracy, e.g. the age, of the information accessible in the VLR is not sufficient.
WO 00/54524 describes a service by which suppliers of general information can supply general information to the mobile radio network users in a certain geographical area, without the users having to set their mobile stations in the mode for receiving such information.
The service comprises registering a general information message in a general information message register in the mobile radio network including registering an identification of served area. When receiving a location update message from the mobile station the identification of served area is comparing with the information of the location of said mobile station included in the location update message. It is determined whether the general information message should be sent to the mobile station based on the result of the comparison and the general information message is sent to the mobile station if it is determined that the general information message should be sent.
A problem with the invention according to WO 00/54524 is that it is the mobile station that initiates the sending of information. Thus, although the subscriber location in the mobile network is known by the location update information the method is not suitable for alert notifications where it is important to be able to distribute the information urgently to a plurality of mobile stations since awaiting the mobiles updating their location is not acceptable.